2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Ped]

[QUOTE=Bingo Jr.;9120279]Parekh at 9 is eerily similar to Quinn Hughes at 9.
QUOTE]


Except for the fact that Hughes went 7th...

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (What is a Voltigeur? Edition):

LW Maxime Lafond is another first-time draft-eligible from a powerhouse CHL team that didn't get nearly enough of an opportunity to showcase his talent because he was cast in a bottom-6 checking role. Lafond put up a meager 7 goals and 23 points in 68 games for the QMJHL Champions, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, a deep and talented team that finished 1st in goals-scored. He registered only 4 points in 19 playoff games, and produced zeroes in 3 Memorial Cup appearances, as the Volts were bounced from the tournament. Lafond is a big power-forward, at 6'4",201lbs, and is a sure bet for a huge breakout offensively, as early as next year.

To get it out of the way, all aspects of Lafond's skating need work. He has a long stride, and appears to have fairly good speed when he gets going, but his acceleration and explosiveness are lacking. His edgework is not too bad, as he can stop as well as change direction quickly, and appears to have a fairly sharp turning radius. Some of his issues will fix themselves as he gets stronger, but he must first fix the hitch in his mechanics, as he looks somewhat awkward at times. His main contribution to his team's offense is by and large his playmaking, displaying above-average IQ and vision, and is able to make a high number of passes to the slot. He skates with his head up to survey his surroundings, and uses mostly short and simple passes, but has flashed the ability to connect on more difficult ones, with some going cross-ice, or even cross-crease. His shot is nothing special, and he needs to work on getting more power out of it, but it's accurate- and he's adept at using screens without a lot of space to unleash. He's got a good net-front presence, and will park himself there to cause havok, provide an immovable screen, and to capitalize on second-chance opportunities. Lafond is a smooth stickhandler, and possesses superb puck-protection using his extra-long wingspan to handle outside of the reach sticks, and angling his body away from checkers- these skills help his delay game, and aid him in opening space for himself and teammates. He understands how to draw defenders towards him in order to facilitate his passing game, and uses deception well.

Lafond imposes his size well, and has a physical side, though he remains disciplined with only 20 PIM this season. He can dominate along the boards, outmuscle opponents in battles, and throws big hits. He creates space off the puck with his intelligent routes, and supports the play in all three zones. In transition, he works the give-and-goes effectively, showing good numbers in this area of the game, but it's his defensive performance that's his true strength above all else. Lafond is engaged and hard-working on the backcheck, and his defensive metrics are outstanding- he might be one of the best in the league in his own zone. He carries keen awareness to be a step ahead of the play, with the ability to intercept passes and close lanes with his active stick. He supports his teammates in battles, and uses his body to separate man from puck. Lafond will be a big producer over the next two years, but he's not necessarily a shoe-in to be drafted- mostly due to his poor production. I think he could develop into an excellent bottom-6 defensive player in the NHL, and scouts love a player with size and physicality. Look for him in later rounds.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

From McKeen's mock draft (they have us taking Iggy at 9)...



What's the verdict? They had me at "kind of guy you win in the playoffs with," but I don't know much about him.

We wouldn't be too upset - holy compete level

https://twitter.com/user/status/1801420283867173184

[dammage79]

There was a meet and greet in Sunrise yesterday for teams to interview Demidov. From the sounds of it, the kid wowed. Two inches taller than the draft profile says, speak fluent English. Kids ready to go after his ankle rehab is up.

I just don't think the Hawks are gonna pass this guy up.

Oh and Conny was there to interview as well.

Edit: Dan Milstein brought over a ton of Russian clients to hold a semi combine for the players so teams could interview.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by dammage79

There was a meet and greet in Sunrise yesterday for teams to interview Demidov. From the sounds of it, the kid wowed. Two inches taller than the draft profile says, speak fluent English. Kids ready to go after his ankle rehab is up.

I just don't think the Hawks are gonna pass this guy up.

Oh and Conny was there to interview as well.

Edit: Dan Milstein brought over a ton of Russian clients to hold a semi combine for the players so teams could interview.

Holy crap, great info!

[Samonadreau]

There's a chance the 2 Russians might be the 2 of the top 3 players in the draft.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Frankenstein Edition):

Milan Lucic was drafted in 2006 with Boston's second-round pick, 50th overall, after posting a paltry 19 points in 62 games for the WHL Champions, the Vancouver Giants. This season, LHC Gabe Smith has caught the eye of scouts with totals of 9 goals and 23 points (with 72 PIM) in 54 games for the 6th-place Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, and has many of the same traits as Lucic did in his draft year. Is Gabe Smith the next Milan Lucic? Or, is he the next Hunter Smith or Ben Hanowski? Gabe Smith was drafted in the second round of the 2022 QMJHL Draft, 25th-overall by the Wildcats, and is currently ranked #94 (NA Skaters) by Central Scouting. The 6'4",207lb pivot is young by draft standards, with an August.3rd birthday, which is scary when considering that he may not be done growing. Moncton was swept out of the playoffs this season by Chicoutimi, and Smith was held pointless.

Smith finished 14th in scoring for Moncton, 10th for forwards, and didn't get big minutes for the contending Wildcats which may have hurt his draft stock- he would have surely posted better numbers on a different team. Most of his tools are average currently, or below, but he employs a heavy game as a power-forward with a big body. Immoveable in front of the net, Smith will set up a screen and cause havok- the goalie can't see past him, and the D can't outmuscle him. We might as well consider the net-front to be his office, with soft hands in-tight, and a proficiency in winning back loose pucks and pouncing on rebounds- he also shows the hand-eye coordination for tip-ins. He's a hard one to handle on the forecheck, with his combination of size and intensity, and he will hunt down puck-carriers to disrupt, and to deliver big hits. Being an Alpha-Male in junior, he's not at all afraid to use the middle of the ice, and he has a hard, heavy shot that lacks some accuracy and deception- with only 9 goals on the season he's not a huge threat to score, especially with the low ice-time he's getting. He's physically intimidating, hitting everything in sight, and winning battles in all of the greasy areas- but he's also a little mean, with little shoves after whistles, and some crosschecks, hacks and whacks to make his presence felt. He's very competitive, and plays with energy. Puck-protection is a plus for Smith, with an extra-long wingspan to handle the puck out of the reach of sticks, as well as the capacity to angle his body away from poke-checks. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot of puck-skill, with rough-looking stickhandling, and sloppy pass-receptions.

For Smith, skating is a big weakness. His top-speed in a straight line isn't too bad when barrelling through open-ice, but his acceleration and first-step are severely lacking, and his edges and agility need plenty of work. He has poor lateral mobility, and has difficulty in making quick turns, or changing direction. Surprisingly, he exhibits deft passing through transition, and displays the ability to make quality breakouts from the defensive zone. He puts in good work defensively, with his enormous wingspan and reach aiding him in shutting down passing lanes- his own-zone play is a strength. He shows good anticipation and awareness, and can dislodge pucks with hard hits. Smith has NHL-projectability when it comes to his size and physicality, along with his forechecking proficiency, and could make a fine bottom-6 role-player if he can fix his mobility. I will go out on a limb and predict that he's taken in the 4th, or 5th-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Henricks, not Hendricks Edition):

RHD Tanner Henricks is a name you may have seen a few times if you're one to regularly peruse various mocks and Draft lists, and has moved up and down all year long. He plied his trade this year with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, posting 9 assists in 59 regular-season games, to go with 12 PIM, and 1 assist in 5 playoff games. He took part in last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup for Team USA, with 1 assist in 5 games. Henricks is young by draft standards, with a July 25th birthday, and is ranked #79 (NA Skaters) by Central Scouting. This kid is a hard one to scout, as he doesn't seem to play the same way game-to-game, and flashes a different skill-set in each outing, perhaps indicating that he's highly inconsistent.

Henricks gets noticed not only for his size, at 6'3",194lbs, but also because he wields surprisingly fluid agility and footwork, with excellent mobility. His smooth edges give him good elusiveness, as well as solid lateral mobility, and he is able to pivot on a dime. He can show a propensity to overskate at times, or to arrive late for checks, but he compensates with a quick corrective gear. There's no real dynamic skills or high-end talents in his repertoire, and there's not much going on in the offensive zone with this player- he keeps his passes safe and simple. His puck-skills are mediocre as well, with rough handling, but he doesn't get a lot of touches anyway. He uses his body to win battles, and employs a robust amount of physicality, but he's very disciplined, and not very mean, per se. He is able to separate man from puck with hits, but also uses an active stick and a long reach. A real strength of his game is his proficiency in retrievals and breakouts, as well as his patience and poise in performance of these duties. He scans well to choose the best outlet, and makes reads while drawing pressure and opening space. Though he can make the odd bad pass, he registers a high number of controlled exits, and can stretch the ice on occasion with a long-bomb.

Henricks can shut down lanes in the neutral zone to kill the rush proactively, and can match footwork with the quickest players when applying gap control. He's a very capable defensive player with good habits, and flashes shutdown ability with strong awareness, smart positioning, and heavy physical engagement. He employs his mobility and an active stick to poke-check pucks away from attackers, intercept passes, and close down lanes. He forces opponents to the outside, and boxes attackers out from the net. Going forward, Henricks could use better poise under pressure, as there are times when he makes mistakes, and throws pucks away while under duress. There are times when he looks like a defensive stalwart, and other times where he looks lost, and can be caught puck-watching. It's imperative that he expands his puck-movement, and develops some kind of offensive game, rather than just shooting from the point. Henricks is a long-term project, but the good news for the team that drafts him is that he's committed to St. Cloud State for the 2025-26 season, giving him plenty of runway to grow his game. There's some long-term potential here for a bottom-pairing D with size and mobility. Look for him in rounds 5 or 6.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Calgary Boy Edition):

C/LW Miles Cooper was born in Calgary on August 4th, 2006, meaning he's one of the younger players in this year's draft crop. He was the 11th-placed Wenatchee Wild's Rookie-of-the-Year, with 18 goals and 46 points in 65 regular-season games, and added 5 assists in 6 playoff games as his team was eliminated by the Kelowna Rockets. Cooper didn't get the same head-start in Major Junior that other kids get, as he played almost the entirety of the 2022-23 season in Prep School, only getting an 8-game audition in the WHL with the then-Winnipeg Ice. He was drafted by the Ice in the third round of the 2021 WHL Draft, 67th-overall, and is currently ranked #141 (NA Skaters) by Central Scouting, who rated him as a "C" prospect on their preliminary list, betrothing him to be a 4th, or 5th-round pick in this year's NHL Draft.

The consensus is that Cooper possesses an elite brain, but has difficulty executing his ideas as his tools mostly rate as average-to below average, with no real dynamic qualities in his repertoire; even still, the puck seems to follow him around. Cooper is not particularly big or strong, at 5'11"and 165lbs, and isn't very fast with a lack of separation speed and explosiveness, although he still manages to play with pace. He's a pass-first player with a detailed game, and must rely on being the smartest player on the ice to offset his lack of high-end speed and his slight build. They say he thinks at an NHL-level, with top-tier anticipation to predict the next two moves ahead- he seems to always be at the right place, at the right time. Cooper uses a high amount of deception in the form of fakes and look-offs, and creates a plethora of opportunities for his teammates with his give-and-go style. He employs a skillful delay game to draw opponents, and to wait for the right lanes to open, to make the best play. Despite his lack of size, he still wins puck battles with his solid work-ethic and high motor, outworking opponents while lifting sticks, picking pockets, and using poke-checks. He manages to be a disruptive forechecker, and has a rather sneaky physical side. He cuts inside to shoot, but owns a shot that rates as mediocre right now, and hasn't shown himself to be a big scoring threat. He will however, drive the net hard to finish, or pick up rebounds. By the same token, his stickhandling is fairly average, and his pass-reception is sometimes sloppy.

Cooper diplays good passing skills, and possesses some creativity and vision with the ability to make more complex plays, such as cross-ice passes, and shot-passes. These skills, along with his ability to see the ice, help his effectivness in transition, using short-range plays, and give-and-go passes to push the pace. He positions himself well defensively, and brings his smarts and details to the backcheck- he may not be a stalwart, but he doesn't hurt his team in his own zone. His off-puck game is also solid, with intelligent positional awareness to support the play in all zones. Cooper will surely be a WHL star in the near future, but if he's drafted by an NHL team, he will have to wait until the later rounds.

[Jiggy]

Pronman full mock draft on The Atheltic.

Flames Picks:
9. Sam Dickinson D (with Iginla, Catton, and Parekh still waiting to be selected)
28. Leo Sahlin Wallenius D
41.Jack Berglund C
62.Spencer Gill D
74.Tanner Howe LW
84.Kamil Bednarik C
106.Alexis Bernier D
107.Kirill Zarubin G
170.Darels Uljanskis D

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/557...ounds-pronman/

[Ped]

Mock drafts are fun, but even 1st round ones are pretty useless once a pick throws it out. Doing an entire draft seems a huge waste of time.

[EDMONTONisNG]

Originally Posted by Jiggy

Pronman full mock draft on The Atheltic.

Flames Picks:
9. Sam Dickinson D (with Iginla, Catton, and Parekh still waiting to be selected)
28. Leo Sahlin Wallenius D
41.Jack Berglund C
62.Spencer Gill D
74.Tanner Howe LW
84.Kamil Bednarik C
106.Alexis Bernier D
107.Kirill Zarubin G
170.Darels Uljanskis D

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/557...ounds-pronman/

I will be pissed if we pass on tij AND catton, wtf